chapter 212: Sky and Sea

"What happened?" Napoleon III noticed that Ma Shao seemed to show a nervous look for the first time, and couldn't help asking.

  Ma Shao took a deep breath and handed the message to Napoleon III: "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I won't be able to witness you become the President of France."

  Napoleon III read the message, was silent for a moment, and then nodded: "I understand."

  "Thank you for your help during this period. When I become president, France will be the first to condemn the Americans' shameless behavior and provide the necessary assistance to the Apache."

  "Good luck, my friend." He shook hands with Ma Shao and said goodbye.

  Then Ma Shao hurried away and set out on the road back to Apache with his men.

  Of course, before officially returning to America, he had to go to London to meet the King of England again.

  At Buckingham Palace, Ma Shao learned more news about the Apache War, some of which surprised him.

  For example, strictly speaking, in the first wave of American attacks, the Apache not only successfully resisted, but also completed a beautiful counterattack.

  The US military suffered huge casualties and was ultimately defeated. The Apache War became the most brutal Indian war the United States had ever experienced, even worse than the Seminole War.

  "The Americans were a little careless. Their attack ended in complete defeat. Even the commander was captured alive by you. I am very happy." Prince Albert smiled. "But we must admit that the strength and growth rate of Sleeping Bear City exceeded everyone's expectations."

  "Especially those artillery pieces. I'm afraid the Americans never thought that one day they would face Apache shells on their heads."

  He paused and said, "In fact, I don't think you even need to rush back. Maybe you can get a good result through British diplomatic channels."

  Ma Shao thought for a moment and said, "I still can't rest assured. Polk is a very aggressive American president. A failure will probably only make him organize more troops for the next attack."

  "Indeed, Polk is a tough guy." Prince Albert nodded, "So you plan to return to Apache immediately?"

  "No, I'm going to Washington." Ma Shao said shockingly.

  "Washington?" Prince Albert was slightly startled. "You want to negotiate with Polk in person?"

  "Yes." Ma Shao lowered his head.

  Prince Albert stared at him for a moment and said, "Tell me about your plan."

  Ma Shao: "If the negotiations go smoothly, my tribe will join the United States as the Apache State and have the opportunity for long-term peaceful development."

  "This is indeed a wise choice for you." Prince Albert nodded and asked, "And then?"

  Ma Shao was silent for a moment: "Then, I hope America can return to its true owner."

  Prince Albert smiled and said nothing.

  The air was quiet for a few seconds.

  Prince Albert spoke again: "If you really decide to go to Washington, I will ask the US government to guarantee your personal safety during your visit."

  Ma Shao: "I have already decided."

  Prince Albert nodded. "Well then, Britain's bravest knight, I wish you the best of luck."

  The next day.

  In the name of Queen Victoria, Ma Shao is about to board a ship heading for the Atlantic.

  Most of the people on board were British, including several diplomatic officials from the British government.

  There were only two Apaches traveling with Ma Shao. The others either stayed in Britain or went to California on the warship.

  When he boarded the ship, many people saw him off at the dock, including General Fitzroy, Darwin, Dickens, Kelvin...

  Ma Shao said goodbye to his friends one by one. When he said goodbye to Kelvin, he suddenly said, "Thomson, I suggest you teach at Cambridge."

  "Why?" Kelvin was stunned.

  Ma Shao: "I know you have a soft spot for the University of Glasgow, but Cambridge is a much broader place, and the Physics Department is planning to build a laboratory. You might like this job."

  Kelvin smiled and said, "I know, this is your proposal to build a high-standard physics laboratory. But apart from you, most people probably don't know what a 'high-standard physics laboratory' is, and you are unwilling to do it yourself. This is obviously a troublesome task."

  Ma Shao: "If you have no idea, you can learn about Cavendish's legacy. As far as I know, his descendants have preserved a large number of his manuscripts. Moreover, the Cavendish family is very generous, and you may be able to get their sponsorship."

  Cavendish was a great experimental physicist, but because he was a loner by nature and had no shortage of fame and fortune, many of his research projects were not published during his lifetime, and instead lingered in the corner in the form of manuscripts, gathering dust for decades.

  Although these forgotten manuscripts are quite old, if they can be unearthed, they will be beneficial to the progress of physics.

  Kelvin was the scientist who was most severely plagiarized by Ma Shao. Ma Shao wanted to make it up to him to some extent, so he told him about the treasure.

  "Okay, I'll visit them when I have time." Kelvin nodded.

  "By the way, Ma Shao, I have a question I have always wanted to ask you." He seemed to remember something.

  "What's the problem?"

  Kelvin's face was full of confusion. "Why did you call me 'Kelvin' several times? Although I like that river, it still sounds strange."

  Ma Shao was a little embarrassed: "Well... maybe it's because I think you look a lot like that river."

  "?" Kelvin was even more confused.

  "You are as brilliant as that river." Ma Shao added, "You know, people's associative memory is sometimes very strange. They will just connect two unrelated things together."

  Kelvin shrugged. "Well, thank you for the compliment. Although I still find it strange... but now that you mention it, the nickname 'Kelvin' doesn't seem so bad."

  "Goodbye, Kelvin." With a lame excuse, Ma Shao was finally able to call him by this name.

  "Goodbye, my friend." The two hugged and said goodbye.

  Then, under the gaze of everyone, the sailboat slowly left the port and eventually disappeared from people's sight.

  What people didn't expect was.

  The ship that Ma Shao was on lost contact with, and there was no news for a long time. There was no news for a month, two months, and three months...

  One year without...

  Not even two years...

  Three years and still no...

  Apparently, the ship had met with an accident in the Atlantic Ocean - it had been wrecked.

  Such accidents are not uncommon in sailing. Many people were regretful and sad, and could only pray that Ma Shao was still alive.

  After all, the Atlantic Ocean is 80 million square kilometers in area and over nine kilometers deep at its deepest point. If a ship capsizes and a person falls into it, they are no different from a reed.

  For people in the nineteenth century, there was really nothing else to do except pray.

  But as time goes by, this ship loss incident has not only not been forgotten by people, but has instead had an increasingly widespread and profound impact.

  Six months after missing.

  Kelvin discovered Cavendish's forgotten manuscripts and obtained funding from the Cavendish family to build a physics laboratory for Cambridge University.

  In order to commemorate Ma Shao and Cavendish, the laboratory was named "Cavendish Laboratory" and the position of laboratory director was called "Ma Shao Professor of Physics". Anyone who obtained this position would inherit Ma Shao's office at Cambridge University, although Ma Shao had only been in this office a few times.

  …

  Napoleon III, who had become the President of France, strongly condemned the US government and believed that the Americans planned the shipwreck.

  Under the joint pressure from Britain and France, coupled with the bad debt of the Sleeping Bear Agreement and the Apache's powerful strength that exceeded everyone's expectations, US President Polk had to end the war hastily and accept Apache's conditions.

  As a result, Apache became the 31st state of the United States of America and had a higher degree of autonomy in fact, being part of the United States only in name.

  Although the relationship between Apache and the federal government remained tense and was called "the most arrogant state" by a congressman, Apache still enjoyed a rare peaceful environment.

  Rainy Day became the governor of the Apache State and began to further deify Ma Shao. The Oracle was printed and distributed in large quantities to unite all Indians.

  The Indian tribes have always admired Ma Shao, and after being labeled as a "martyr", Ma Shao's status and reputation were rapidly and infinitely elevated, truly reaching the level of being on par with gods.

  Therefore, Indians throughout the Americas, especially North America, quickly accepted this common understanding: Ma Shao, the Son of the Sky, was the hero and leader of all Indians.

  For the first time, all Indians were united, if only in one idea...

  …

  One year after missing.

  University of Göttingen.

  The greatest living mathematician, Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss, was here to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his doctorate.

  This event brought together many famous scientists, who gathered around Gauss like stars surrounding the moon. The smartest group of people in Europe were chatting and laughing here.

  "Everyone, I have something good to share with you." Gauss, who is over 70 years old, said with a smile in his old voice, while picking up a book. "Of course, I think some of you have already read it."

  "What is this book? Professor Gauss." People were talking.

  "Spiritual Oracle?"

  Gauss smiled and said, "Yes, it is The Oracle, a religious book from the Apache. I think there is no doubt that Ma Shao is its main creator."

  "The religious theories in this book are very interesting, but of course that's not the point... The most important thing is the chapter called 'Sacred Questions'." He turned to the chapter in question and handed it to the scientists around him.

  The scientists gathered around curiously.

  Gauss continued, "There are many conjectures and questions in the Holy Questions. Some of them seem very difficult, and I dare say that there will be no results in a hundred years. Some of them don't seem that difficult, but after trying, you will also feel that you can't make any progress."

  "For example, the 'four color conjecture', which seems to be easy to understand, I tried very hard for a while, but found that I was completely unable to solve it."

  "I think these unsolved mysteries are very valuable and can even point the way for future scientific research, so I would like to take this opportunity to recommend them to you."

  Gauss couldn't help but sighed, "It's a pity that we don't have the chance to meet Ma Shao, he was such a talented natural philosopher. If he could live, he might have achieved more brilliant achievements than Newton..."

  As a superstar in the academic world, Gauss's promotion has had an astonishing effect.

  Originally, as a religious text, "The Oracle" was not paid much attention in the academic community, but after this incident, scientists have realized its value, at least the value of "The Sacred Questions".

  The collective attention of scientists has further expanded the influence of "The Oracle", causing more and more people to become interested in it and want to take a look at it.

  For a time, paper was expensive in Europe and "The Oracle" was quickly sold out. When the genuine version was sold out, the pirated version was also sold out.

  It doesn't matter if you don't read it. Once many people read this book, especially those who are smart and well-educated, they are immediately attracted by Ma Shao's carefully designed theological theories and religious legends.

  In comparison, the theories of most religions seem crude, neither true and rigorous enough, nor profound enough, and lack interest. The difference is obvious.

  As a result, Spiritual Oracles gradually began to spread across Europe and showed strong expansion among the highly educated groups.

  In fact, due to concerns about the religious atmosphere in Europe, Ma Shao did not dare to actively preach. This seemingly unintentional result may be the best way.

  …

  Two years after missing.

  During these two years, the British Royal Navy sold some second-hand warships to Apache one after another, enabling Apache to establish considerable maritime force on the west coast of the United States.

  Under the escort of warships, the Apache fleet conducted large-scale trade with East Asia and other regions through water transportation, while also introducing immigrants and developing California.

  Although the Apaches were developing rapidly here, the out-of-reach United States federal government was not very clear about the situation here and did not realize that California was actually also controlled by the Apaches.

  …

  Three years after missing.

  British Business Supervision Office in China.

  A bearded British man in a suit and tie opened a book in his left hand and wrote various combinations of letters on a piece of scratch paper with his right hand, his eyes flickering as if he was thinking about something.

  "What are you doing, Wade?" his colleague asked casually.

  Without even looking up, Wade asked, "Do you know Apache?"

  "The language of the Apaches?"

  "Yes, in a way it is very young. After all, its writing system was created by Ma Shao during his lifetime." Wade said slowly, "I recently learned about the Apache language and found something very interesting."

  "What?"

  "Apache's phonetic rules seem to be very suitable for Chinese, and even seem to be tailor-made for Chinese." Wade seemed a little excited and picked up the draft paper in his hand.

  "Using Apache's phonetic rules, we can easily spell Chinese words with English letters."

  …

  With the expansion of Apache power and Ma Shao's personal influence, the ideology and various rules and regulations created by Ma Shao were also widely spread, not to mention science and technology.

  These ideas, coupled with the turbulent background of the times, have not only promoted social progress, but also emerged in the development of various contradictions such as race and class, causing waves all over the world.

  Manchester.

  Two wise men with deep eyes and big beards sat together and talked about something.

  "I think we should write something for him," suggested one of the older ones.

  "That's right."

  As soon as the voice fell, the older man picked up the pen and wrote: "It is certain that Ma Shao is the greatest figure of this era, even if his brilliant life is as short as a meteor...

  No one knows whether this undefeated Apache warrior is sleeping in the deep sea or trapped on an isolated island like Robinson Crusoe until he returns one day in the future.

  But we are certain that his spirit will hang high above everyone's head like the sky, and his legacy will surround the entire world like the ocean, forever.

  The era he belongs to may have ended, but the era that belongs to him has just begun..."